


City of Ghosts

by Starthewolf1106



Series: Ripples in the Water [1]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Abandonment, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Lonely Peter Parker, POV Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18666238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starthewolf1106/pseuds/Starthewolf1106
Summary: Listen, listen,I would take a whisper if that's all you had to giveBut it isn't, is itYou could come and save meTry to chase the crazy right put of my head





	City of Ghosts

Peter stared at the darkening city ahead of him, dangerously close to the edge of Avenger's Tower. If this had been nearly six years ago, Mr. Stark would've yelled at him.

He shook the thought off. No one was around anymore. Turning, he made another mark on the ground. That made 2192. He had counted.

2192 days were just over six years. His lungs tightened at that. 

His heart clenched as he gazed at the forlorn, abandoned city ahead of him. Vines and vegetation grew on skyscrapers. Rusted cars sat in the street, waiting for their owners. Wildlife had retaken New York City. 

_What was left of it._

His eyes stung and his lungs burned. Heart constricting he laid down on the harsh concrete. He tried to convince himself that the tears we're caused by the harsh wind.

He failed.

×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

_A whimper escaped his lips as his spider-sense went haywire. It hammered into his skull painfully, screaming at him that he was in danger. MJ and Ned gave him an odd look, while May and Mr. Stark looked concerned._

_Gazing down at his dinner, he tried to continue eating. Everyone stared a bit longer, before going back to shoveling food down their throats._

_Suddenly, a blinding light flashed throughout New York. He was suprised he still able to see. He didn't have a moment to dwell on this, however, as searing pain ripped through his body._

_Agonizing energy spread through his body like a disease, burning everything it touched. Pain like never before blazed it's way up his body._

_He tried to cry, to scream, to reach out or anything you get the pain to stop. But he couldn't._

_Suddenly he was lying on the street, Savage burns on his torso and a damaged left eye seemed to be his only injuries._

_With a groan, he pushed himself up, but saw no one. Panic began to set in as he desperately searched._

_Climbing to the top of the nearest building, he listened for anything. He heard nothing. No people, cars, birds, nothing._

_"Hello?" He yelled out over the deafening silence._

_"Hey! Is anybody out there!?" He screamed._

_"SOMEBODY, SOMETHING, PLEASE!" He sobbed, panic taking complete control._

_His echo was the only response._

_°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°_

Gasping, Peter awoke from the nightmare. Looking up, he saw the now clear night sky. Calming himself, he felt his shaking recede.

Laying back down, he looked back up at the stars, he closed his eyes. When he was awake, he was constantly reminded of what he had lost. When he was asleep, he kept dreaming of the Before. About life when everyone was here, where New York was one of the busiest cities in America. 

Both of these reminded him that in the 36 minutes he was unconscious, nearly 8 billion people disappeared.

When he was laying like this, however, in a state that was neither awake nor asleep, he could pretend that he was back. He was cuddling the May, or watching movies with Ned and MJ. He was tinkering with Mr. Stark, or pestering Happy. He could pretend that his only worries were patrolling or doing homework. 

He longed for the days of blissful ignorance, of childish softness. He longed for his old self that thought that the worst thing in the world was dying. His old self thought that kindness and gratitude were the only things that mattered. That empathy and sympathy were the solutions to everything.

The old him must've died or vanished along with the rest of the planet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter awoke to the midday sun on his face, and the sound of whispers of ghosts in his ears. Turning, he spotted the 'ghosts'.

The ghosts appeared about a year After, and hadn't disappeared. They were usually strangers, talking about random things. After a while, the conversation would stop mid-sentence, and the ghosts would fade.

Occasionally though, the ghosts would be of May, or Ned. The ones he knew hurt the most.

One day, in what he thinks was mid summer, he saw a ghost of Mr. Stark. He froze where he was, stood, and bolted towards the ghost. 

Tears streamed down his face as he saw his mentor's face for the first time in nearly two years. He slowed before barreling into the ghost, and lifted a hand towards the figure. 

He touched the ghost, and for a moment, he felt the same blinding agony he had Before, and the ghost crumbled to dust.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he focused on the pair. Two teens, walking along the streets, talking about school and all that.

Sighing, Peter turned and curled back up into a ball. Forcing himself to eat, he dug out a gronola bar. Grabbing a nearby twig, he carved another tally into the roof.

2193.

His birthday would be... Tomorrow. His heart clenched, and he closed his eyes. 

All he wanted for his birthday was to see the man he has come to see as a father's face. He wanted to run to Mr. Stark and hug him.

But mostly, he wanted to hear his voice. Even the smallest whisper, the slightest breathe. He needed to hear his family's voices, but he knew that they would never speak again. 

Sobbing, he wailed out into the sky, knowing that nobody would ever respond. He could feel a panic attack, so he turned to his only friend. His Shadow. 

Unlike the others, his Shadow was always there. Whenever he was awake, Shadow followed. When he was asleep, so was his Shadow. Shadow is the only person left, aside from him.

Deep down he knows that Shadow is not real. They are simply that; a Shadow. But Shadow is all he has left of the world that he misses so much.

Shadow and him were all that was left.

Shadows and ghosts, hallucinations and nightmares, he knew he was going insane. The crippling loneliness and the fact he hasn't spoken in nearly six years does that to someone.

He wanted Mr. Stark to swoop in and Chase them all away. He wanted Aunt May to hold him close and whisper reassurances into his ear. He wanted Ned and MJ by his side, ready to take on the world.

But like a lone island, he can wish, but he will never receive. 

A mixture of a panic-induced fever and grief allowed him to drift off in the midday sun. 

**********************************************

Five days later, Peter sat guarding his city of ghosts. He knew time was running out. His fever was worse, he kept hallucinating, and his heartbeat felt... wrong.

Stumbling off of his post, he crumbled onto the concrete roof. Sighing, he took out a picture frame from his bag. With shaky fingers he clutched the picture close to his chest. Tears spilled from his eyes, but he had no energy left to cry. 

Grabbing his phone, he decided to make his first video entry since two years into the After. 

Clumsily opening the camera, he started to record. 

"H-hey guys. It's me, Peter. Look... I think this is the end for me. It's been four more years since the last entry. I've gotten worse. I don't think I'll make it." He closes his eyes for a few seconds.

"If someone finds this, just know that... Know that I'm sorry. I tried my best. I sat and waited for years. I patrolled and searched and  _waited_ for someone to return, but I couldn't make it." He starts rambling for a few, his vision starting to fade.

"I guess... I guess this is the end?" He asks, smiling slightly.

"MJ, Ned, you guys were my best friends, and I've missed you. Aunt May, you're the best Aunt in the whole world. Same with you Me. Stark. I wish I could've seen you one last time..." He fades out, he reaches for the camera, clucking 'end', before collapsing. 

The last thing he remembers seeing was a quinjet landing at the other end of the roof. Mr. Stark leapt out and raced toward him as he closed his eyes.

Just another hallucination...

 


End file.
